Here is the text of the resolution ``Calling on the Church for
Greater Leadership to End Discrimination Against Gays and
Lesbians,'' adopted by the 19th General Synod of the United
Church of Christ July 15 to 20 in St. Louis.

The UCC, with 1.6 million members in 6,400 congregations, is a
1957 union of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the
Congregational Christian Churches.

WHEREAS, God is the creator of all people, including people of
differing sexual orientations; and

WHEREAS, human sexuality is a gift of God, a gift to enjoy and to
express responsibly; and

WHEREAS, moral judgments should not be made about who people are
but rather on the basis of how community and covenant are formed
and what responsible expression of sexuality might mean among
people of all sexual orientations; and

WHEREAS, anything that robs people of their human dignity is a
sin; and

WHEREAS, laws that discriminate against people based on their
sexual orientation and rob them of their human dignity are wrong
and sinful; and

WHEREAS, scripture is God's word of love for the human family, a
history of God bringing good news to the oppressed, the
brokenhearted, the captives, calling all people to redefine who
should be called a neighbor that human community might be built;
and

WHEREAS, those who turn the gospel of love into a gospel of hate
should be considered false prophets; and

WHEREAS, the Tenth General Synod in 1975 issued a pronouncement
on Civil Liberties Without Discrimination Related to Affectional
or Sexual Orientation, and similar national statements have been
issued in 1969, 1973, and at every General Synod since 1975,

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the 19th General Synod of the
United Church of Christ:

1. calls for the passage of a federal gay and lesbian civil
rights law that will end discrimination in employment, housing,
public accommodations, and federally assisted opportunities,

2. calls for an end to all state ``sodomy laws'' used to provide
legal sanction for discrimination against gays and lesbians,

3. calls for passage of domestic partnership laws designed to
provide greater justice for gays and lesbians,

4. oppose attempts in Missouri and any other states to file
petitions and pass laws to prevent the civil rights of gays and
lesbians from being protected,

5. calls for the lifting of the ban on gays and lesbians in the
military and expresses its gratitude to United Church of Christ
Chaplains in the military who have been working to help the
military come to terms with the issue of social justice,

6. calls for education and leadership to help the church and
society understand moral and legal issues relating to
bisexuality,

7. urges churches and church members to take more leadership in
ending the legal sanctioning of discrimination against gays and
lesbians and in countering the prevailing public perception that
the religious community supports such discrimination.

Andrew Lang
Office of Communication
United Church of Christ
Cleveland, Ohio
langa@ucc.org